Renee Knight is a freelance writer and editor who's been covering the dental industry for 15 years. 

Renee Knight

Working with companies you trust is key to a successful dental practice. Dr. Peter Haupers shares how his relationship with 

 helped shape his career more than 30 years ago, and how it’s still an important part of his practice today.

As a young man, Peter Haupers Jr. wasn’t sure what he wanted to do with his life or what career choice was right for him. At the time, his father worked as a foreman for 

, and that connection gave Dr. Haupers the opportunity to help with maintenance and light factory work.

About the time he finished high school, company owner Richard Saslow saw something in Dr. Haupers, a young man who didn’t have a lot of confidence or direction yet but was looking for part-time work.

He could see Dr. Haupers was a sharp young man who excelled at working with his hands. He suggested he look into a career in dentistry, and Dr. Haupers took that life-changing advice.

“I knew I wanted to work with people,” Dr. Haupers said. “The only experience I had was odd jobs working in factories, where all I did was talk to metal. Dentistry fit all the things I wanted in life.”

That was 33 years ago, and Dr. Haupers now has a successful periodontal practice, PerioCare, in Chicago. He has about 1,000 patients in recall, patients who he treats for periodontal conditions with the most conservative methods possible. These days, he plans, places and maintains more implants in his practice than anything else, and that gives him the opportunity to work more closely with general dentists, something he really enjoys.

As his practice has changed and grown over the years, his strong working relationship with Hu-Friedy has remained a constant. He continued to do odd jobs-from maintenance work to instrument sharpening-throughout dental school to help pay for his education, and now more than 30 years later he still looks to Hu-Friedy for innovation.

As an experienced periodontist, Dr. Haupers knows what he’s looking for in a new product, and he also knows how important it is to have his team on board. Before he implements a new product or technology into his practice, it has to have the research behind it to support manufacturer claims. He needs to know if it will make his practice money or cost his practice money, and if it will improve the patient experience.

Not every product investment pays off right away, but that doesn’t deter Dr. Haupers if he’s looking at a quality product that will bring improvements to his patients and his staff. That’s why investing in 

Hu-Friedy’s Instrument Management System

 was a no-brainer. Not only is it a solution to keep instruments stored and organized, but it handles sterilization and cleaning as well.

“You could certainly sterilize in bags and get along fine, but the investment in the IMS System over time will pay for itself,” Dr. Haupers said. “You’re not buying bags and the process improves the safety of your staff because they’re not getting nicked. It improves the patient experience because it’s cleaner when using cassettes. Even though it’s not an instant revenue generator, it improves the quality of care. When patients ask ‘how do you care for the instruments you’re using on me,’ it’s nice to walk them over to the sterilization area and say here’s what we do. We’re proud of that. There’s a value there that’s not just revenue.”

Dr. Haupers promotes the fact that they use this level of sterilization on the practice website and in brochures. It gives patients peace of mind to know how the instruments their dentist uses are sterilized.

 as a selling point when he’s looking to add a new team member. His staff members don’t have to scrub the instruments after every use, and that means they’re less likely to have to deal with the pain and paper work aggravation that come with getting nicked while cleaning instruments.

Not only does Dr. Haupers use a Hu-Friedy product to sterilize his instruments, but many of those same surgical instruments come from Hu-Friedy.

In fact, Dr. Haupers still has a few instruments he used during his residency in 1976.

“If you care for them properly they’ll last forever,” Dr. Haupers said. “When you think about what an instrument actually costs, if it lasts you yea r s and years and years and you don’t have to buy another, that makes the instrument more valuable.”

Dr. Haupers loves his tried and true instruments, but he’s also pretty excited about a new Hu-Friedy product-the

. This tool enables doctors to loosen a tooth and almost completely extract it without needing to use forceps, which makes it easier to remove the tooth without damaging bone. And that, of course, is key when working on an implant case.

“As soon as I saw them I said ‘wow, I have to have these, they’re so nice,’ ” Dr. Haupers said. “You couldn’t take it away from me now.”

Dr. Hauper s also uses Hu-Friedy’s dentist-developed gingival grafting instruments that are specific for intricate procedures, as well as Perma Sharp Sutures.

“They’re the perfect people to make sutures because they understand metal,” Dr. Haupers said. “We’re suturing very delicate tissue and often ask this tissue to follow curved contours. Careful placement of the sutures can be difficult and the suture needle and material do make the difference. The suture needles are so sharp they slide right through the tissue instead of dragging through, which could tear tissue. They cut right through like butter.”

Hu-Friedy products always have been a part of Dr. Hauper’s practice. He describes the company as innovative, and a partner he can trust.

“I have Hu-Friedy sutures and instruments all over my office. The IMS system is a blessing, and the fact they constantly innovate and improve. They could easily stand still but they don’t,” Dr. Haupers said. “They figure out ways to help us that we weren’t even thinking of. They anticipate what we need ahead of us. Like the Luxating Hybrids. Clever idea. And then when you see it you always say, ‘why didn’t I think of that?’”

Chairside efficiency is the key to a productive practice. Maximizing this efficiency is possible when the exact procedural setups needed for each patient are always at your fingertips. Hu-Friedy’s Instrument Management System (IMS®) standardizes and combines the cleaning, sterilization, storage and organization of instruments in one integrated cassette system, creating real results that can save your office up to 5-10 minutes per procedure.

Perma Sharp® Sutures are made with 300 Series Stainless Steel, the ideal alloy for dental suture needles. This strong alloy composition provides exceptional ductile strength, reducing the risk of breakage and ensuring a sharp needle that is dependable pass after pass. These sutures require up to 20% less force to penetrate tissue, and feature a laser-drilled design to reduce tissue disruption.

Hu-Friedy Luxating Hybrids were designed with thin, precisely angled tips to aid clinicians in preserving the buccal plate during atraumatic extractions. They feature increased instrument control with the ergonomic Satin Steel® handle. Features include improved apical and interproximal access with thin working tips; enhanced oral adaptation with 7 precisely manufactured tip options; easily severs the periodontal ligament with finely honed, sharp cutting edges; longevity and corrosion resistance afforded by hand-crafting from the finest grade surgical stainless steel.

Clean hands are the single most important factor in preventing the spread of pathogens and antibiotic resistance in health care settings. Hu-Friedy’s full line of medical grade soaps, sanitizers, and moisturizers help with program compliance. Hand Essentials™ Skin Repair Cream helps restore the skin’s natural moisture balance for optimal skin health. Sterillium® Comfort Gel™ hand antiseptic kills >99.999% of nosocomial pathogens within 15 seconds while increasing skin hydration. All of Hu-Friedy’s hand hygiene products are designed for frequent use and are CHG and Latex compatible.

Articles

Working with companies you trust is key to a successful dental practice. Dr. Peter Haupers shares how his relationship with Hu-Friedy helped shape his career more than 30 years ago, and how it’s still an important part of his practice today.

Featured Practice: Dr. Peter Haupers on how to build a foundation for success

For the team at Marietta Smiles, prevention is key to providing optimal care. They want to provide the best customer service and patient experience possible while the patient is in the office, but for optimal results, they know that care has to continue once the patient is home. 

 help them offer that level of care, in the practice and beyond. 

Every patient who walks in to Marietta Smiles is treated like a house guest.

They’re never left waiting wondering what to do next, or wondering what their treatment options are. The team makes sure they’re comfortable from the time they walk in to the practice until they leave.

The reception area is warm and welcoming, and the private operatories are equipped with comfortable patient seating, TVs and the most up-to-date technology proven to improve patient care-all the little extras that help patients relax during their appointment time.

These elements are critical to providing the best patient care possible, which is what matters most to Dr. Julian Campbell, Dr. Tony Nunez and the team at Marietta Smiles.

The atmosphere and technology help patients feel more comfortable, which in turn makes them more likely to come back for routine preventive recall appointments as well as for any necessary or elective work. The products they offer, from the high tech to the preventive, reflect the practice’s philosophy, which centers on prevention, top notch customer service and high-quality dental care that extends beyond the appointment time.

In 2005, Dr. Nunez was looking to grow his solo practice and Dr. Campbell was searching for a new partner, someone who could work more hours than his current partner and who shared his same philosophy of care.

That’s why Drs. Campbell and Nunez merged practices, creating an office that offered six operatories and a level of service patients couldn’t help but appreciate.

By 2008 they needed more space and appointment times for their 5,000 patients, and decided it was time to move their growing practice to a bigger office. This gave them the opportunity to not only expand their practice, but to customize their 10 operatories to highlight their technology-including 

-as well as to design the office in a way to make their patients feel as comfortable as possible.

Between the two of them, there’s always a dentist available to see patients, whether it’s during an emergency situation or a routine, prevention-focused appointment. Both doctors realize dentistry isn’t all reactionary and ensure preventive care is a top priority.

“We try to intercept problems with our patients,” Dr. Nunez said. “Not only react to the problems that they’re having but we try to make recommendations that will benefit them in preventing problems we foresee for them in the future. Problems with gingivitis becoming periodontitis, early carious lesions becoming bigger cavities and becoming a bigger problem. We try to recommend products or dispense products that will help prevent future problems.”

Both doctors and the team have a great synergy, Dr. Campbell said, which is so important in a multi- doctor practice. Patients have noticed and rewarded them with loyalty as well as referrals.

“The practice is growing. It’s thriving. We have a lot of patients from every walk of life,” Dr. Campbell said. “We see kids as young as 2 and adults as old as 98. We don’t really try to focus on one type of patient. We just believe in taking care of whoever will allow us to take care of them. ”

All that comes into play when it’s time to make a product decision for the practice. Drs. Campbell and Nunez spend time researching a product, talking to colleagues and reading journals, before they make a move. They also consider staff input and know how important it is for team members to be on board with any new product decisions.

And, of course, they want to know what the patients think.

“The patient benefits always comes first and foremost,” Dr. Nunez said. “Is this something that will make our patients more comfortable, let us treat them more effectively and in less time. And then of course we look at the financial aspects. ROI. The things you have to look at. But the goal is first to look at a product and see how it benefits our patients, their experience and their health.”

All those factors went into choosing a varnish. The hygienists at Marietta Smiles use

 3M ESPE’s Vanish™ 5% Sodium Fluoride White Varnish

. Nancy DeMott, RDH, and the two other hygienists have tried many different fluoride treatments over the 

 years, but find that Vanish varnish works the best for their patients.

“The application process is simple and the flavors are good. We use Vanish varnish exclusively now,” she said. “We also use it with perio patients, anybody with sensitivity or root exposure.”

Dr. Nunez finds Vanish varnish superior to the foam gels they’ve used in the past, and likes the fact that it gives patients a higher dosage of fluoride.

“Vanish varnish has been really great because it’s very easy for the hygienist to apply it and it’s very quick for the patients so they don’t have to sit for a long time like with the fluoride foam. They’d have to sit for a minute or so with this uncomfortable foam in their mouth,” Dr. Nunez said.

“Now, we can apply the varnish very quickly and that varnish stays on the teeth longer. It releases fluoride longer so it’s helping the patient in that way. They’re getting that extra fluoride dosage for a longer period of time.”

The varnish also contains Tri-Calcium phosphate and gives sustained release of fluoride and calcium that keeps the teeth from having problems down the road, Dr. Campbell said, such as a cavity forming around the root surface from lack of proper mineralization or under dental restorations. It has the ability to penetrate difficult to reach surfaces and provides a sustained defense.

“We apply the Vanish varnish to the teeth at their recalls. When they come in for their cleanings and we don’t see the cavity, that’s a big success for our practice,” he said. “The best dentistry is no dentistry. We believe in preventive dentistry such as using this at their typical recall visits and then allowing patients to see their x-rays and to see that the little dark spot that was once a small cavity has been remineralized and no longer needs further intervention such as a filling.”

Patient care doesn’t end after the appointment is over; home care is just as important to keep patients in optimal health.

3M ESPE’s Clinpro™ 5000 1.1% Sodium Fluoride Anti-Cavity Toothpaste

 as part of a home care kit for patients with periodontal disease.

She wanted to include something simple that wouldn’t add to the patients’ home care regimen, because she knows extra steps makes it less likely for patients to comply. So patients get the varnish in the practice, and continue treatment at home with 

- products Dr. Nunez describes as the two most important in their practice for prevention.

“The fluoride in the toothpaste also helps them with the sensitivity they’re experiencing because of recession,” he said.

“We decided to increase the implementation of the toothpaste with our patients who had moderate to high risk for dental caries and we’re finding that we’re getting good results with remineralization of smaller carious lesions. We’re seeing remineralization or arresting of those lesions over a period of time.”

Patients are much more likely to comply with Clinpro 5000 toothpaste than anything DeMott has used before, and that’s getting them the results they need to improve their oral health. Patients use it as their toothpaste, so they don’t have to add a step to their home care routine, it tastes great and it delivers results. Once patients see those results, they want to use it even more and even ask DeMott about stocking up during their appointments.

“Clinpro 5000 toothpaste helps with our treatment of periodontal disease, caries, and malocclusion factors like abfractions and gingival recession resulting in sensitivity,” she said.

“We need help when we’re working with patients. We can fix things all day long but if they’re not doing things at home to protect it, it doesn’t matter. They can put thousands of dollars into their mouth but if they don’t take care of it it’s going to fail. That’s why we try to give them a tool to continue that home care part of it along with what we do in the office.”

The team at Marietta Smiles has come to trust 3M ESPE and use many of the company’s products throughout the practice, including the

 PerioMed™ 0.63% Stannous Fluoride Oral Rinse

Just for Kids™ 0.4% Stannous Fluoride Brush-on Gel

3M ESPE products help them provide the type of care their patients deserve, and fits in perfectly with their philosophy of care that focuses on prevention and high-quality customer service.

“Any practice that incorporates these products is going to see better results clinically. Hygienists are going to enjoy using the varnish application technique and seeing the results they get and patients are going to appreciate the extra care that they’ll get by using Clinpro 5000 toothpaste at home,” Dr. Nunez said.

“They’ll appreciate the fact that we are caring beyond the appointment. We want them to know that we’re invested in good results for them clinically. We want them to share in the process at home. We’re caring for them beyond the appointment and ultimately want to improve their health long term.”

For the team at Marietta Smiles, prevention is key to providing optimal care. They want to provide the best customer service and patient experience possible while the patient is in the office, but for optimal results, they know that care has to continue once the patient is home.  3M ESPE preventive products help them offer that level of care, in the practice and beyond. 

How this practice is making prevention a priority [VIDEO]

Patient communication is key to any successful practice. Read how Lighthouse 360 helped Dr. Richard Rosenblatt improve patient communication and what that means for his team and his practice.


	Patients are no longer falling through the cracks at Dr. Richard Rosenblatt’s practice.

It’s a common problem at dental practices: a patient misses a recall appointment, and for one reason or another that patient never gets follow up communication reminding him or her that it’s important to reschedule.

Dr. Rosenblatt and the team at his Lake Forest, Ill. practice no longer have to worry about recall patients falling through the cracks, or about sending recall cards and printing out reports to see who is overdue.

The Lighthouse 360 patient communication system does all that for them, making the practice more efficient and increasing the number of hygiene appointments scheduled each day.

 tells me which patients are 6 weeks overdue and gives me a list of patients coming in that we don’t have cell phone numbers and email addresses for,” Dr. Rosenblatt said. “We use this at the morning meeting, so the staff understands the importance of data collection. It allows us to gather the data we need, to get in touch with patients, and it allows patients to confirm through the system so my staff doesn’t have to make recall calls at the end of the day, which is fantastic.”

In the two years since Dr. Rosenblatt incorporated Lighthouse 360 into his practice, a system that he said integrates seamlessly with his practice management software, he and his team have saved countless hours that would otherwise be spent reaching out to overdue recall patients.

His staff has an extra half hour to an hour each day to focus on patients and other aspects of the practice, all while the number of recall hygiene appointments continues to grow.

“My hygiene schedule, which had a lot of holes in it two years ago, is booked out 2-3 weeks in advance because of how well it keeps everybody on track,” he said. “That’s huge for me. My office doesn’t have 30 to 40 new patients a month, so we have to rely on recall and new patients.”

Not only does this patient communication system help to make dental offices more efficient, Dr. Rosenblatt said it’s also pretty easy to integrate into your practice. It can work with your current practice management system, and only requires about an hour or two of training to get everyone up to speed and to set up the various patient reminders.

After that initial phone call, your system is up and running and is pretty much hands off, Dr. Rosenblatt said, which is something he and his team members love.

These days, most patients have smart phones or simply prefer to confirm appointments via email or text. They lead busy lives and may not have time to call when they need to confirm an appointment.

You can send patients appointment reminders a few weeks out, as well as day-of, via text or email, and you can reach out to patients to fill last-minute openings in the schedule. Patients can quickly reply to confirm they’ll be there or to let you know that they’re running late. It enables patients to get back to you instantly, saving everyone time and effort.

“People find we try to be ahead of the technology curve whenever possible, and we think this separates us from the typical dental office patients are used to,” Dr. Rosenblatt said. “It’s really made us seem like we’re doing something above and beyond what the norm is and that’s always a great thing for your practice.”

Want to know more about Lighthouse 360? Check out this video:

While improving his practice’s recall was the main reason Dr. Rosenblatt decided to incorporate Lighthouse 360 into his practice, the patient communication system has plenty of other features designed to make practices more efficient.

They perform a software backup to synchronize appointment data every 10 minutes, so that means if your computers go down (which recently happened at Dr. Rosenblatt’s practice) you can access your schedule and communicate with patients through the Lighthouse 360 site.

You can check metrics through Lighthouse 360 to not only see how many new patients you’ve gotten in the last month, but also those patients’ demographics. You can automatically send patients birthday cards and newsletters.

The service also allows you to perform email campaigns and to get reviews via surveys that you can post on your website and/or Facebook page.

Lighthouse 360 sends surveys to your patients after each appointment, something Dr. Rosenblatt has found invaluable. His team members aim to make every patient who walks into the practice feel like family, and that, along with the quality of care they receive, is something patients noted on the surveys.

But they also noted that the practice feels a bit out of date, something Dr. Rosenblatt didn’t really think about when he bought the practice 6 years ago.

“We updated the look of the practice based on that feedback,” he said. “We would never have known patients were thinking about that until we got the surveys and thought you know, maybe that does make a difference. It helped us as a team know what we’re doing well and what we need to improve on. That’s something that’s really important in every business.”

Effective patient communication is key to a successful practice. From reaching out to recall patients to enabling patients to communicate with your practice the way they want to, finding the right tools will only help your practice grow.

After taking the step to make that a reality in his practice through Lighthouse 360, Dr. Rosenblatt now has a more efficient practice-with more hygiene patients than ever before.

How to improve patient communication in your practice

We tell you how to know when a patient just isn’t good for your practice. 

Patients are the lifeblood of your practice

. They’re the reason you became a dentist, and it’s your job to help them reach optimal oral health, and to ensure they’re happy with the bright, confident smile you helped create and protect.

But that doesn’t mean you have to put up with patients who disrespect your time or who 

don’t see the value in the dentistry you offer

. Sometimes, you have to let go of a patient who is bringing negative energy to your practice and causing stress to you and your team.

Firing a patient isn’t something you or your dental team wants to do-or something that should be taken lightly-but sometimes it’s the best decision for the practice, and even the patient.

Here is a breakdown of the reasons you might want to part ways with a patient, and the best way to let problem patients know they can no longer call your dental practice their home.

 If you set up a payment plan with a patient and he refuses to follow through, or 

claims he forgot his checkbook every time he comes in for an appointment

, it may be time to let this patient go, said 

Penny Reed Limoli of Limoli and Associates

To avoid this situation, make sure patients understand up front what insurance will cover and what part of the bill is their responsibility. Give them a thorough breakdown of the treatment plan and the associated costs. This doesn’t mean you still won’t have patients who try to get out of paying, but at least you’ve done your part to ensure the patient knows what’s due and when.

Work with patients to set up payment plans they can afford, but don’t continue to let it slide if they’re not following through. Finish the treatment you’ve started, but don’t schedule any more chair time with these patients beyond that.

 When patients don’t keep their appointment times, it creates a lot of stress and havoc for you and your team members, 

Advisor Kimberly Brozovich said. It also takes away from the patients who are compliant and on time for their appointments.

When new patients come to your practice, make sure you tell them your appointment cancelling policy in advance. If you haven’t already, come up with that policy as a team. Include it in all new patient paperwork and talk to patients about your office policy at their first visit. If they know up front your office requires a 24-hour cancellation policy, they’ll be more likely to adhere to that the next time they need to make a change.

Add to your policy how many times a patient can be a no-show before they’ll be dismissed from your practice, and make all new patients aware of this policy. Set boundaries and make those boundaries clear to your patients.

3. They’re always late for their appointments.

 When this patient pops up on the schedule, your team knows she’ll likely be at least 30 minutes late, throwing off the rest of the afternoon. This is not OK, and the patient should know it.

 suggests telling the patient that unfortunately you can’t see her today. Never be unkind, but this lets the patient know she can’t just show up 30 minutes late for her appointment and expect to be seen; there are consequences.

If the patient shows up late again, tell her you know she’s very busy, so is it OK if you call her the next time an appointment time opens up, rather than scheduling an appointment she may not be able to make. Ask her what time of day is usually good for her and note that in her file. If this doesn’t work, you may want to think about parting ways with this patient.

As with no-shows, you may want to develop a policy for habitually late patients. If they’re late four times, it’s cause for dismissal from the practice. Let new patients know this up front and it may help them take their scheduled times more seriously.

4. They’re verbally or physically abusive.

 Maybe the treatment outcome didn’t meet the patient’s expectation, or he didn’t realize how much of the final bill was his responsibility, so he lashes out at one of your team members. This is a pretty good reason to let a patient go.

“After awhile you get tired of hearing people be negative about dentistry,”Jameson Management Advisor and Speaker Nancy Miller said. “Certain patients are thankful and other patients no matter what you do, it’s a constant struggle and that makes everything you do more difficult. You just can’t meet their expectations and the comments wear you down. You have to decide if it’s worth the income.”

patient becomes physical with you or a team member

, cutting him from your practice is a no-brainer. No good can come of treating violent, hot-tempered patients in your practice.

Knowing what patients want can help make them better patients. Check out this Morning Huddle video from Jameson Management:

 If you’re seeing the same patient over and over for emergencies, there’s a chance that patient is just trying to get a prescription out of you, Brozovich said. When you notice this trend with a patient, it’s time to part ways.

6. They’re stealing from you or other patients.

 It’s rare, but Miller has heard stories about patients going into the bathroom and stealing toilet paper, coffee, toothbrushes-whatever they can get their hands on.

If possible team members should keep purses and other personal items in lockers, Limoli said, and patient purses shouldn’t be easily accessible.

 You want to be friendly with your patients, but there has to be a line, Limoli said. 

If a patient starts flirting with you or team members

 and making inappropriate comments or advances, that patient may be better served at another practice.

8. They won’t accept necessary treatment.

 “If patients don’t accept necessary treatment even after you educate them about their condition and the health risks associated with it, you may have to suggest they look for another dentist,” Limoli said.

“Don’t watch things get worse. If the patient comes for recall and doesn’t want to get necessary work done, say ‘I’m concerned about that tooth. Here’s a picture from six months ago, here’s what it looks like today. Before we schedule your next recall appointment, you need to have this taken care of,’ ” Limoli said. “You may hate to do it but you have to take a stand and say ‘I can’t sit here and watch that get worse.’ ”

When you find yourself in this situation with a patient, take the time to tell him his refusal to accept treatment or let 

 makes you uncomfortable and you can no longer treat him if he continues to refuse. Chances are, this patient will fold and agree to that radiograph or the recommended treatment, Jameson Management Advisor Leslie Neveu said.

Providing the proper education and helping patients understand the importance of taking radiographs or 

 will go a long way in getting them to comply and keeping them as a patient, Neveu said.

“Once the team really understands the value of communication their confidence builds up so they feel more comfortable communicating what the needs are for the patient,” Brozovich said. “They can turn the patient’s behavior around quicker, or they do come to a point where the patient or provider decides they’re not on the same page and maybe they should part ways.”

 When you decide it’s time to part ways with a patient, you can’t just tell him he’s no longer welcome at your practice. Limoli recommends giving the patient a written notice via certified mail.

“Give them some options of where else they can go and let them know you will treat them on an emergency basis for the next 30 days, but beyond that you’re terminating the professional relationship with them as a patient,” Limoli said. “Send it in writing instead of a phone conversation or a face to face. If it isn’t in writing and it ends up in court it didn’t happen.”

You can have a conversation in addition to sending the letter, and Miller recommends you keep it non confrontational and reasonable. Tell the patient you just don’t seem to see eye to eye, and he’d be better served at another practice. 

 Most of your patients are good people who want to do what’s best for their oral health, and who respect your time and efforts to help them make that happen. But occasionally you’ll come across those patients who don’t see the value in dentistry and can’t be bothered to make their appointments on time, if at all.

If a patient is wreaking havoc on your schedule or making someone on the team feel uncomfortable, it’s time to let that patient go. But if you set boundaries and take the time to 

educate patients on the importance of their dental health

, this scenario will be less likely to play out in your practice.

“Ultimately patients have to see the overall value in why we perform these procedures,” Miller said. “I don’t think any patient wants to act that way. It’s up to us to educate them as to what we do.”

8 signs it’s time to fire a patient

Embarrassing your patients won’t get them to comply. Educate instead.

It’s difficult enough for patients to come to the dentist. They all-too-often worry about how much procedures are going to hurt or how much money any needed treatment might cost. 

, and worrying about what their dentist might say about their flossing habits certainly isn’t going to help them relax.

Instead of scolding patients or making them feel bad about 

not following through with their home care

, make sure you use your time with patients as a chance to educate. Talk to them about the benefits of complying with their home care and how prevention can help save them from pain and additional costs in the long run. Let them know why their oral health is so important, but don’t embarrass them about what they haven’t done so far. Instead, encourage them to do better before their next appointment.

No one wants to feel embarrassed or ashamed, and if a patient leaves your practice feeling that way 

chances are that patient isn’t coming back

. Just remember to stay positive and encouraging. That is a much better way to help keep patients on track, and motivates them to want to improve their oral health.

It’s easy for you and your team members to become frustrated if patients aren’t doing their part. Remember they’re more likely to comply at home if they have a pleasant, educational experience at your office.

. Without them, where would you be? You have to know the best ways to attract them to your practice, get them to accept treatment and make them happy, life-long patients.
	
	That’s where we can help. Check back regularly for tips on how to keep your patients happy, healthy and loyal.

Want to turn patient objection into case acceptance? Check out this Morning Huddle video with Jameson Management:

Want more tips to get your team talking? Check out our Morning Huddle e-newsletter.

Don’t scold your patients for not complying with home care

Life just got a little simpler at Dr. Jeff Blank’s practice.

Instead of keeping various bonding agents on hand for total-etch, selective-etch and self-etch cases, he now has one that works for all three. Dr. Blank is one of about 200 dentists who had the opportunity to try 

Since June, he’s used the adhesive for 23 cases, including Class IV or V in the esthetic zone, to cement veneers, on Class I, II and III restorations, as well as direct restorations in crown preps. He’s impressed with the results, describing it as a “truly universal adhesive.”

“Scotchbond Universal adhesive is possibly the most forgiving adhesive on the market,” he said. “One study suggests that even if a slight amount of saliva gets on a margin, which is very common, bond strength remains high. This is unheard of. Of course, proper isolation is always recommended…but it’s nice to know we have some leeway in the often hostile clinical situations we are presented with.”

That’s what this new adhesive is all about-making it easier for dentists to get the results they’re after, no matter what type of case they’re facing. It launched Oct. 1, after almost 3 years of work from a variety of people and departments at 

. Not only does it work in both self-etch and total-etch modes, it bonds to all dental surfaces without any extra primer. It also features a broad range of indications for indirect and direct procedures-with virtually no post-op sensitivity, even in total-etch mode, said Beth Eskra, Marketing Manager for Adhesives.

With this adhesive dentists only need to know one system and one application technique, and that means a streamlined inventory and no need to keep products on hand that may go bad if they’re not used enough.

“It takes a lot of complexity out of the dental operatory, as it offers one simple, robust solution for all bonding needs,” said Christoph Thalacker, a research chemist at the 3M ESPE lab in Germany. “With Scotchbond Universal, worries like ‘Did the assistant pick the right bottle?’ ‘Am I using the right procedure?’ ‘Does this material actually stick to the substrate I want to bond to?’ ‘Is the tooth too moist or dry?’ are a thing of the past.”


	The idea behind Scotchbond Universal was to build on what the company already offered in Adper™ Single Bond Plus Adhesive and Adper™  Easy Bond Self-etch Adhesive, and broaden the range of possible indications, Thalacker said. The goal was to develop a truly universal adhesive to eliminate the need for all those complicated bottles in the operatory and provide dentists with one easy technique with fewer steps and less chance of error.

“When it comes to adhesives, we tend to build on our successes,” said Jon Fundingsland, Professional Relations Manager. “The chemistry of Scotchbond Universal can be easily traced to 

. With Scotchbond Multi Purpose we incorporated a component of Vitrebond™  Light Cure Glass Ionomer Liner/Base (a patented modification of polyalkenoic acid, now called the Vitrebond copolymer) into the primer.

This offered much more consistent bonding in the presence of high-humidity (like the oral environment). It also had a blend of hydrophilic and hydrophobic monomers. Both the Vitrebond copolymer and our expertise in resin technology were incorporated as we introduced Adper Single Bond Adhesive, Adper Single Bond Plus adhesive, Adper Easy Bond self-etch adhesive, and now Scotchbond Universal. But Scotchbond Universal goes further and incorporates not only components to bond to dentin and enamel, but also components to bond to etched ceramics, zirconia, alumina and alloys.”


	A successful background in adhesives isn’t the only element 3M ESPE needed to develop this product. They knew clinician feedback would be key to developing a product both the company and their customers could get excited about. Opinion Leaders helped the team at 3M ESPE define the product early on, Fundingsland said.

“At our annual meeting with Opinion Leaders in 2008, we had a session to discuss adhesives. We had recently introduced Adper Easy Bond self-etch adhesive, and were discussing similarities with Adper Single Bond Plus total-etch adhesive,” he said. “During the discussion it hit me-what if we had one adhesive that was suitable for both self-etch and total-etch techniques? After a very lively discussion, the KOLs at the meeting thought this was a really good idea and rated it as definitely worth pursuing.”

Beyond that first KOL meeting, Kim Wiggins, technical service rep, worked with the marketing department to develop an early concept test. With that test, they identified which adhesive attributes clinicians thought were most important in this type of product and what the current materials on the market were lacking. And the input they received wasn’t just limited to the U.S.-this was a global process that included feedback from clinicians, KOLs and consultant panels based in Europe, Brazil and Japan as well.

As part of their feedback, dentists were asked to weigh each attribute so researchers at 3M knew exactly what they should focus on, said Dan Krueger, Scientific Affairs Manager. Researchers talked with dentists about the direction they were thinking of taking the product to see if they were on the right track, and then combined those two elements together to start developing Scotchbond Universal.  

“In the beginning we had a good idea of where we wanted to go with the material, and that comes from interaction with other 3M divisions,” he said. “The next step was to find out from the clinicians what other features we needed to make this better and meet their needs. By defining that early on we were able to hone in and finalize the formulation of the material, bring the opinion leaders together again and say ‘here’s the format of the product’ to validate whether that would be something accepted in the marketplace. From there we could look into a final formulation and begin the external evaluations. We have to meet internal regulatory and biocompatibility requirements so we know the material is safe to use. Once all regulations are met we can finally work in the mouth. So each step builds on the other one.”

When they brought the clinicians together for the second time, they had a chance to use prototypes of the material in a simulated operatory, Thalacker said, and then give 3M feedback about handling, possible indications and the general validity of the concept. This feedback gave the team the chance to make any necessary changes before working on the final formula.


	Most dentists are split when it comes to adhesives, with some preferring total-etch and others more comfortable with self-etch, Krueger said. The clinicians 3M talked with at the beginning of product development wanted something they could use for both, something to help speed up the process and reduce post-op sensitivity for the patient. They wanted something less technique sensitive that would provide strong bonds and that featured dual cure capability. Basically, an adhesive that would simplify the dentistry, yet still provide high end results for their patients.

“The adhesive provides for a very forgiving technique for the clinician to get consistent bonding in either total- or self-etch modes,” Krueger said. “Scotchbond Universal removes the variability they currently have in materials they’re working with. This is going to simplify the procedure, give dentists one material they can use for a much wider range of indications with one technique, while reducing a lot of sensitivity potential and technique sensitivity. We wanted to provide consistent performance so patients receive the best possible restoration.”

Dentists also wanted to simplify bonding to materials like zirconia and ceramics for crown and bridge work, Krueger said. Bonding to these surfaces usually requires different primers, but that is not the case with Scotchbond Universal. The adhesive features a new monomer and silane that allows a chemical bond to these surfaces without a primer. This further simplifies the dentists’ job, and allows them to get rid of even more materials they’ve always had to have on hand before.


	With every product that’s developed at 3M ESPE, the team behind it is not limited to the resources in their dental division. They have access to all of 3M’s diverse technology platforms for all different kinds of applications, Thalacker said, and that played a large role in developing 

“Unlike other dental companies, we at 3M ESPE have the possibility to tap into these technologies to provide new solutions for our customers,” he said. “This does not only include access to materials like new fillers or monomers, but also to analytical facilities. For example, we were able to collaborate with the Corporate Research Analytical Lab in St. Paul to investigate hybrid layer formation using state-of-the-art electron microscopy equipment. That way we gained valuable insight into how to optimize the formulation for high moisture tolerance, high bond strength even to dry, etched dentin and ultimately virtually no post-operative sensitivities.”
	
	3M has more than 45 technology platforms, and there’s a culture of innovation within the company that encourages scientists to share technology across those platforms, 3M ESPE VP Mark Gates said. For example, when Gates worked in 3M’s automotive division, they bought Bondo, a company that sells a polyester based filler designed to fill dents in cars. They wanted to re-invent the category and find a way to automate the filling process for quality assurance so when it’s applied to a car, it’s consistently mixed and hardens at the proper rate.

“We looked at platforms in the company for a dynamic mixing system that would allow us to mix this material. We talked to the folks in dental and they told us about the mixing nozzle they use for impression material. That nozzle is what was used to automate the mixing process in the body filling category,” Gates said. “We do that all the time. And technology sharing back and forth between health care and industrial gives us a culture of collaborative innovation that happens across industries and regions. We do this worldwide. It’s a topic 3M can talk about for a long time.

"It’s part of our DNA. It’s what we do.”


	Not only did Scotchbond Universal benefit from this type of innovation, it also benefits from the brand it’s tied to. Scotchbond is tied to one of the core brands at 3M, Gates said, which is used in several markets served by 3M. About 40 percent of all 3M products include adhesive technology, and that includes double sided tapes for industrial bonding and different surfaces like metals and composites. 3M ESPE can leverage that brand strength of being an adhesive company into the dental space.


	Before clinicians tested the prototypes in simulated labs, the studies with experts from academia were initiated to prove in vitro performance, Thalacker said. Between 15 and 20 researchers from all over the world have evaluated the material, and the feedback the team at 3M received has validated what they’ve been saying about the material.

When these studies unanimously provided favorable results, the final formulation was thoroughly tested in vivo by almost 200 dentists in the U.S. and five European countries, Thalacker said. These dentists completed about 19,000 applications and offered feedback on their experiences with the material.